My portion of research for this problem is incorporation of parent empowerment. I believe that the problem of this school stems from the fact that the younger generation of teachers and the older generation of teachers, including Principal O'Conner, are not willing to work together to create a positive change within the school. The older generation seem to be 'stuck in their ways' and believe that their way is the right way, and is working just fine, while the younger generation seem to want to implement the new technology and strategies within the school to create the most 'up-to-date' changes within the school. It seems as though Principal O'Connor is not helping move the two divisions of people any closer together, hence, creating even more of a gap between the teachers. Collaboration is needed in order to create a vision and a change within a school, and it seems that this vision is not clear between all stakeholders, which is a major problem to face.
After further researching and thinking about the problem with this school at-hand, I discovered that we forgot to mention that the school is missing two very important things: a vision, in which all stakeholders agree upon, and a mission, in which all stakeholders can follow in order to reach the vision of the school. I found the following article, and am going to write about the research I have found regarding the need for vision and mission statements in a school, especially a school in which is going through reform.
One of the main problems principal O'Conner's school is facing is the lack of a vision from all stakeholders of the school and community. There is a vision statement of the school, but this vision has not been modified in years. As schools change, so should the visions and missions of the school. The vision is the single most important aspect of change in a school. According to Cunningham and Cordeiro, vision "converts ideas, knowledge, experience, and futuristic thinking into a reality that is clearly understood and achievable by practitioners. The vision of an ideal school helps them to rework and reshape existing curriculum content, instructional methods, and delivery systems"(64). Each year, it is important that visions be looked at, and revised if necessary. Even if visions do not need to be revised, teachers, staff, and community members of the school should always look at the mission statement to see whether these steps are the best way to conquer the vision. This not only allows for revisions and new ideas for the vision, but also creates a sense of togetherness with the with the whole staff involved. According to Hill, "vision is something that can guide us as individuals or as organizations to reach a point that we have given some thought to rather than simply arriving wherever we might end up. Vision has a lot to do with where you will be in two years, five years, or even at the end of your years. Having a vision and seeing that vision come into reality will also have a lot to do with how satisfied we are at the end of whatever time period we might choose to examine... another characteristic of vision is that it can create a sense of anticipation that lets us experience a sense of fulfillment even before a goal is reached". Without a vision that all stakeholders agree upon, there is no direction and goal. Just as we post objectives and goals for the day with our students, schools must have visions and goals of where they would like to be that year as well. A mission statement should also be created with the staff of the school to help figure out the steps that are needed in order to reach the vision. The fact that the teachers and staff, including Mr. O'Conner, are very divided, and once they have put in place a common goal for the school, not only will they all be in the same place, but they will all have come up with it together as a group. This will bring the school closer, and will provide more comfort from all parties involved.
References: Cunningham, W. G., &Cordeiro, P. A. (2009). Educational leadership: A bridge to improved practice. Boston: Pearson Education Inc. I used chapter 3 from our textbook as a source, for it explains how vital it is to have a common vision and mission when creating an ideal school. (Caren Nies)
Hill, R. B. (2010). Excellence: the importance of vision and work ethic. Technology and Engineering Teacher.28-31 This article was very useful, for it explained in detail how important a vision is based on research, and also how critical it is that all stakeholders involved work to their best ability to ensure that the vision is created. (Caren Nies)
Coyne, K. (2000). Developing a school of character. Principal Leadership. 44-47. This article talks about developing a vision and mission statement using the Four D Process which includes spiraling cycles of reflecting, planning, acting and observing. First participants envision the characteristics of a truly humanistic school. Second, participants decide on their community values. Third, the group determines what actions it can take to reinforce these beliefs. Finally, the group reviews and evaluates what they have done and sharpens their aim to further implement their dreams. The Four D's inlcude: dreaming, deciding, doing, and dancing.
the problem of this school stems from the fact that the younger generation of teachers and the older generation of teachers, including Principal O'Conner, are not willing to work together to create a positive change within the school. The older generation seem to be 'stuck in their ways' and believe that their way is the right way, and is working just fine, while the younger generation seem to want to implement the new technology and strategies within the school to create the most 'up-to-date' changes within the school. It seems as though Principal O'Connor is not helping move the two divisions of people any closer together, hence, creating even more of a gap between the teachers. Collaboration is needed in order to create a vision and a change within a school, and it seems that this vision is not clear between all stakeholders, which is a major problem to face.
After further researching and thinking about the problem with this school at-hand, I discovered that we forgot to mention that the school is missing two very important things: a vision, in which all stakeholders agree upon, and a mission, in which all stakeholders can follow in order to reach the vision of the school. I found the following article, and am going to write about the research I have found regarding the need for vision and mission statements in a school, especially a school in which is going through reform.
One of the main problems principal O'Conner's school is facing is the lack of a vision from all stakeholders of the school and community. There is a vision statement of the school, but this vision has not been modified in years. As schools change, so should the visions and missions of the school. The vision is the single most important aspect of change in a school. According to Cunningham and Cordeiro, vision "converts ideas, knowledge, experience, and futuristic thinking into a reality that is clearly understood and achievable by practitioners. The vision of an ideal school helps them to rework and reshape existing curriculum content, instructional methods, and delivery systems"(64). Each year, it is important that visions be looked at, and revised if necessary. Even if visions do not need to be revised, teachers, staff, and community members of the school should always look at the mission statement to see whether these steps are the best way to conquer the vision. This not only allows for revisions and new ideas for the vision, but also creates a sense of togetherness with the with the whole staff involved.
According to Hill, "vision is something that can guide us as individuals or as organizations to reach a point that we have given some thought to rather than simply arriving wherever we might end up. Vision has a lot to do with where you will be in two years, five years, or even at the end of your years. Having a vision and seeing that vision come into reality will also have a lot to do with how satisfied we are at the end of whatever time period we might choose to examine...
another characteristic of vision is that it can create a sense of anticipation that lets us experience a sense of fulfillment even before a goal is reached". Without a vision that all stakeholders agree upon, there is no direction and goal. Just as we post objectives and goals for the day with our students, schools must have visions and goals of where they would like to be that year as well. A mission statement should also be created with the staff of the school to help figure out the steps that are needed in order to reach the vision. The fact that the teachers and staff, including Mr. O'Conner, are very divided, and once they have put in place a common goal for the school, not only will they all be in the same place, but they will all have come up with it together as a group. This will bring the school closer, and will provide more comfort from all parties involved.
References:
Cunningham, W. G., & Cordeiro, P. A. (2009). Educational leadership: A bridge to improved practice. Boston: Pearson Education Inc.
I used chapter 3 from our textbook as a source, for it explains how vital it is to have a common vision and mission when creating an ideal school.
(Caren Nies)
Hill, R. B. (2010). Excellence: the importance of vision and work ethic. Technology and Engineering Teacher. 28-31
This article was very useful, for it explained in detail how important a vision is based on research, and also how critical it is that all stakeholders involved work to their best ability to ensure that the vision is created.
(Caren Nies)
Coyne, K. (2000). Developing a school of character. Principal Leadership. 44-47.
This article talks about developing a vision and mission statement using the Four D Process which includes spiraling cycles of reflecting, planning, acting and observing. First participants envision the characteristics of a truly humanistic school. Second, participants decide on their community values. Third, the group determines what actions it can take to reinforce these beliefs. Finally, the group reviews and evaluates what they have done and sharpens their aim to further implement their dreams. The Four D's inlcude: dreaming, deciding, doing, and dancing.